Aswan, Egypt. Pharaonic Rock Inscriptions in the Area of the First Cataract. Fieldwork in the Year 2023

Abstract

The landscape of the first Nile cataract features thousands of pharaonic rock in­scriptions. Combining historical, prosopographical, and functional information in a topographic context, they offer a unique source of information on this key region of Ancient Egypt. The inscriptions of the sanctuary at Gebel Tingar allow the social mi­crocosm of a quarry to be reconstructed. Rock inscriptions on the eastern bank north of the plain of Shellal and along the passage through the cataract now complete the mosaic of information on the distribution of inscriptions on a regional scale that was built up over many years of work. On this basis, it becomes possible to recognize focal communication spaces and distinguish socio-cultural epigraphic milieus and their development.